Dianne Hicks

Watercolors, Collage, BookbindingStudio #12

My art is about life and our surroundings, those little things we ignore every day. Through art I get the chance to view the patterns of life and bring my perspectives to others. I want to capture them through the shadow of a vessel, the fabric on the wall, the patterns created by a stalk of peppers or fish in a pond, the simple surroundings and pleasures often over looked. I find peace in my surroundings whether it is in my back yard or in a corner of someone else’s world. It’s that little piece of everyday life and that combination of images that conjure up a complex story for me. I consider my work windows of observations, by coming in close and narrowing the view to observe objects we pass on an everyday basis. My paintings are investigations of my surroundings, emphasizing a piece of the total view so as to draw attention to a particular point of interest. I enjoy seeking out patterning and over-emphasizing it, manipulating it, creating and recreating what I observe.

My personal investigations of pattern are expressed through the use of paint and invented collage surfaces using different printing techniques. I like taking a piece of the total picture and creating images that might otherwise go unnoticed. Some of these images may be ordinary in nature, but with my interpretation, I want you to come closer and closer as if to find meaning in how and why. A deja vu of sorts, have you been here before or have you felt this before. Could it have been real or just a creation in my mind? Maybe it’s your space and not even mine; we have all been here before.

When you begin to look closely, you realize that in nature nothing is perfect but everything is perfectly natural.